fuel problems I think,please help

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help me with our p38. All of a sudden the other day we were driving when the car seemed to die...struggling to get above 2000 revs. We wondered if the fuel we'd put in from the can had some muck in....but we've cleaned out the filter,drained the tank and refilled with some pure fuel for sure. It still wont get above 2000 revs...it seems to die more the more you push the throttle....like it's being starved somehow. The clear fuel pipe coming from the filter to the engine (I assume thats the main fuel feed to the engine but i'm used to the old petrol series models) well this pipe seems to have a lot of air in it.Is this normal?or am I barking up the wrong tree? If we leave the engine idling and then rev it, it revs round the clock and then dies straight away back to between 2000 to 3000 revs. what can I do....short of putting bullets through it. Any ideas on what I can try, I'm happy to hear them. Thank you

P38..diesel 2.5 BMW engine

Is there a sediment filter on yer RR ?
usually find em in front of the o/s rear wheel an they rot like buggery. chances are yer gorra leak in the fuel system.
yer might not be able t see a wet patch where the leak is cos it'll ony be a small hole thas suckin air in rather than where fuels ****in out.

I'll go investigate

series_2a_owner said:

I'll go investigate

Click to expand...

good plan !

but urryup am goin out!

not looking like we have a sediment thingy...I did look...but couldn't see anything of the sort

Oh bollix!

well all i can suggest is yer remove the access cover to the fuel tank pump and inspect all the fuel pipes n fittins, If yer lucky you'll notice where iss leakin form cos it'll be damp around the bust bit.
when you say "clear pipe" (that you seen air in the pipe) is that just at the front near the filter or dose it run full lenght?

its coming from the fuel filter to the pump...big long lazy bubbles...then fuel then long bubbles...all the way dwn...plus when u turn off the engine they seem to 'be sucked' or travel backwards to the filter

you say you cleaned your filter? did you actually clean it or change it for a new one?

hi mate your motor is definitely drawing air from some place , as mondo suggested i would be looking at the point above the diesel tank where the pipes emerge , it was a favourite place on the classics , and landrover dont seem to learn that quick when it comes to crappy design .
another place to check is your fuel filter if you`ve had it off recently , make sure its properly screwed up and sealing ok .
now i dont really wanna **** on your fireworks but, i`ve read someplace ( cant just remember where at the mo ) that the fuel pump in the tank can cause this type of fault , i`ve come across the problem on trucks that have had faulty stack pipes , but not on small stuff , it is something to bear in mind if nothing else turns up , tbh though i would plumb for the top of the diesel tank , good luck anyway.
rick.

cheers for everything guys..its all something we will check...we will go through it methodically. We've surrendered somewhat and are going to call in a diagnostic geezer we know of...see if the old computer knows something we dont.
I know the petrol HSE has some clever comp system that know everything thats going on so I assume ours is the same.
I'll be sure to let you know if we come up with anything.

We cleaned the filter but weve also tried bypassing it to see if there was a seal or something not seated right after taking the filter off...unfortunatly the bubbles were exactly the same...I'm beginning to think that it might be the pipes nearer the tank but that seems to involve taking the tank down for access....so were going to have a quick diagnostic

ok...weve been told the needle valve sensor is stuck and needs replacing on the fourth injector...and lo and behold the air has magically disappeared when the guy came to look...surprise suprise typical landy. But we can only assume its all a by product of the engine being starved by the sensor...something like that...so my nxt question to anyone who has the stamina to read through my ramblings is...where can i get a fairly cheap one?

seem like a lot to me??
Range Rover Injector - BMW Diesel - GENUINE - STC 4218 on eBay, Land Rover, Car Parts, Cars, Parts Vehicles (item 120154168105 end time 01-Sep-07 23:01:07 BST)

just checked thats about right but no more

Injector - New - Surcharge Applies logo 75.00
Ex VAT 88.12
Inc VAT
BeamEnds (Land Rover Spare Parts)

Ive just had a look at the sites...and i've been given part number STC 2290 by the guy who told me what I needed. From what I gather the other 5 injectors are standerd...like the £75 one as above...but the injector number 4 has a sensor on it. The one from ebay was the right part but for a different year...dam it it was a good price aswell...I've been told to expect £200. I say stick with the series models...o so much less hassle! Still trawling through sites though and all help is appreciated...cheers

ring the guy he might have one 0116 241 5639 or 07812 334507/07850 369423 at them prices you have to try......me i would have given it a try, as long as it fitted you should have rang BMW and seen if it would have fitted that what i would have done

o dear...injector changed and thers still air in the fuel and all sorts...thanks for all your help guys...but we will have to replace the fuel pipes now

I a similar problem air in the fuel line, changed the fuel pump, still air in the line when starting, have been given an idea from a mechanic who has seen lots of these probs. He suggested fitting a non return valve in the fuel line to stop the fuel going back to the tank. It costs about a £5 plus a bit for pipe, if it works I'll let you know!

try filling the tank to over 1/3 full